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29 May, 2010

Things I Learned at the Dali Museum

At the Salvador Dali Museum I learned:


* Dali made some truly beautiful art - paintings that looked exactly like they should have


* Dali was in love with himself


* Dali was in love with his wife, who had previously been married to a poet who composed sonnets to her beauty (or something like that. the point is Gala was apparently quite the muse)


* That pixelated thing that kind of looks like Abe Lincoln? It is Abe Lincoln...with a naked Gala in the middle


* I still don't really get the whole melting clock thing, but we did buy a Christmas ornament because Scott loves it.


* Unless you want a print of melting clocks (which wasn't even on display) or the floating rose (also not on display) or 2 or 3 other of the most famous paintings, don't even think about a souvenir.


* The people who write the descriptions next to the paintings are flaming morons... or are under contract to only write PG-rated descriptions. Case in point, this litho had a description that literally had me laughing out loud. I can't remember the exact wording, but apparently the cross-section of the peach represents an eye. I basically looked at Scott and asked, more loudly than I should have, if that was an eye, then why was there a penis-vine poking through it? C'mon...that is NOT an eye!


My favorite part of the museum was Scott's least favorite - the botanical sketches called "Flordali" (for obvious reasons - "flor" for flower, and "Dali" because he was egotistical!). The 'fruits' collection can be seen at the link above. There's another set of flowers with different personalities as well.


My favorite piece of art in the museum was the one to the left,"Pecher Penitent (Penitent Peach Tree)." The description next to it was probably accurate, given the title, but I disagreed and promptly forgot the details. And since art is in the eye of the beholder, let me tell you what I see:


I see a Romeo & Juliet scene. The peach is Juliet on the balcony, and the flower-insect guy on one knee is Romeo. The crying "eye" (apple?) at the bottom, and the sinister tree trunk dude in the background contribute to the tragedy. And the guy with the guitar sketched in at the bottom is the narrator of the story.


The kneeling flower dude is really spectacular in person. I told Scott I want a tattoo of that...and I don't even want a tattoo!


I guess it's safe to say I enjoyed the museum. And of course, I know Scott did too!

3 comments:

wickedmess said...

'The people who write the descriptions next to the paintings are flaming morons... or are under contract to only write PG-rated descriptions....I basically looked at Scott and asked, more loudly than I should have, if that was an eye, then why was there a penis-vine poking through it? C'mon...that is NOT an eye!'

ROFLMAO! STG, I just had a flash back to the first (and only!) time I took GolfGuy to the Dali museum. I read that part to him and he died laughing, too, because he remembers when we played out nearly the exact same scene on his first visit.

I like your interpretation of 'Pecher Penitent', for ever on I'll think of Romeo and Juliet when I see that one.

My favorite Dali has changed many times over the years but I guess it has most often been 'The Sacrament of the Last Supper'. I could sit and stare at that it for hours. Actually, I think I have, it's just amazing!

Glad to hear that you liked the museum, I hope that it's just the first of many enjoyable visits!

Jamie the ParkHopper said...

so, because I can't stop talking about it, I read Scott your comment last night and he put on his best straight face and said "it IS an eye." and before I could question wtf he was smoking, he said, "vag-EYE-na."

And then I laughed so hard I nearly peed myself.

wickedmess said...

Hey, do you think that the descriptions at the Georgia O'Keefe museum claim that they're just flowers?